While residents of Bangkok can anticipate an improvement in air quality this week as levels of harmful ultra-fine PM2.5 pollutants are projected to decrease, people in the North and Northeast regions have been advised to prepare for a rise in air pollution due to ongoing wildfires.
According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) air quality monitoring center, PM2.5 concentrations in the capital city were measured between 12.8-26.8 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) on Sunday morning, staying below the safe exposure threshold of 37.5µg/m³ over a 24-hour duration. Airflow conditions over Bangkok are expected to enhance by March 3, leading to a further decline in PM2.5 levels.
Notably, there were no fire “hotspots” identified within Bangkok, as reported by the monitoring center. However, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) detected elevated PM2.5 levels in 17 provinces across the North and Northeast regions on the same day.
Lamphun and Sukhothai provinces recorded the highest PM2.5 levels on Sunday, with 89.6 µg/m³ and 76.8 µg/m³, respectively, while dust levels in the other 15 provinces were deemed unhealthy for the general population.
The increased PM2.5 concentrations primarily stem from wildfires in various northern provinces like Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, and Phitsanulok. Firefighters and park rangers are facing challenges in extinguishing these fires, particularly in remote areas that are hard to access.
In Chiang Mai, wildfires are concentrated in Ob Luang National Park in Hot district, with 38 hotspots detected. Similarly, Muang district in Mae Hong Son is heavily impacted by wildfires, surpassing the number of hotspots in Pai district. Phitsanulok’s Wang Thong district has also reported multiple wildfires, with efforts underway to contain them.
To address the escalating situation, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed governors to take decisive actions against wildfires and enforce strict regulations on agricultural burnings to mitigate PM2.5 levels in the atmosphere.
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